On May 19, The Straits Times published an article written by Xu Bu, China’s Ambassador to Asean, that criticises US involvement in the South China Sea ( “US ‘rebalancing’ is fishing in S. China Sea’s troubled waters”). Ambassador Xu accused the United States of being the “driving force” behind increased tensions in the region, but […]

The simmering dispute in the contested South China Sea is about to turn to a boil. With an international arbitration court ruling on the legality of China’s “nine-dash line” claim to much of the South China Sea set to be handed down in the coming days or weeks, experts say the situation is likely to […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will “pressure” the United States on maritime issues at key talks in Beijing next week because of Chinese concerns over the increased U.S. military presence in the disputed South China Sea, a major state-run newspaper said on Tuesday. China has been angered by what it views as provocative U.S. military patrols […]

China is preparing an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea, two years after it announced a similar one in the East China Sea, according to sources close to the People’s Liberation Army and a defense report. But one source said the timing of any declaration would ­depend on security conditions in […]

With the final award of the Arbitral Tribunal on the maritime disputes in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea (SCS/WPS) expected in the coming months, there has been a noticeable increase in activities not only on the ground, but also in the diplomatic circles. These developments provide some clues on how the arbitration case and […]

Ahead of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue that begins on Friday, the writer looks at China’s divide-and-conquer tactics in South-east Asia so far and ponders the prospect of a Sino-US pact on the South China Sea Earlier this year, a Japanese official came to talk to me about Japan’s bid to secure Australia’s massive A$50 billion […]

As President Obama sought to make his final mark in Asia, visiting Vietnam and Japan last week, he confronted the increasingly clear strategic goals of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Though Xi continues to focus on domestic issues, including a weakening economy, and cracks down on foreign non-governmental organizations with a new repressive law, he is […]

When a U.S. guided missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese-claimed island in the disputed South China Sea last month, it set off a volley of protests from Beijing. “The U.S. is challenging and provoking the new maritime order by wielding its military power,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. China’s defense […]

The world should respond with care to the upcoming tribunal ruling. Sun Tzu may not actually have advised building golden bridges behind one’s enemies, but there is wisdom in the idea nonetheless. If the betting money is right that the Philippines will win on many if not most points when the tribunal ruling on its […]

The United States recently removed a decades-long arms ban on Vietnam during President Barack Obama’s visit to Asia. China is extremely dissatisfied with a statement by Group of Seven (G7) leaders on the contentious South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in territorial disputes with several southeast Asian countries, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. […]